Antonio Bryant's Family Seek Truth

By Michael H. Sussman On October 30, 2006, Antonio (Tone) Bryant was shot and killed on Broadway in Newburgh. Tone was 23 years old, a brother, son and grandson. He was loved by many. I have seen photos of his deceased body and it appears that Tone was shot in the back of the head, with exit wounds going through his forehead and ear. In the photos, Tone’s arm appears to be tremendously swollen. Family members, delayed from seeing his body for several hours after the shooting, have reported that his arm appeared to have been twisted and broken.

Initial police and press reports claimed that Tone Bryant was shot after he started shooting at police officers with a gun. He allegedly fled and was killed running, armed, from the police.
However, since October 30, 2006, many stories have emerged. Some saw Tone running for his life without any weapon. Others say he was running with a weapon, though not discharging that weapon. Others have him turning while running and shooting, it is fairly clear that the police officer who took Tone’s life was not pursuing him, but rather in a stationery position.
At this date, no family member has sufficient information to understand why and how their loved one was shot. The local police department and the DA’s office have not contacted the family. Others who have sought information have been advised that none can be released due to the ongoing Grand Jury proceeding.

I have litigated police shooting cases and believe strongly that an impartial investigation is needed to satisfy all parties and answer, to the extent humanly possible, all questions. The DA’s office works every day with all local police agencies. It depends on their good will and cooperation to do its work and cannot be expected to be neutral in its own work. Likewise, the local police department cannot be expected to be impartial, investigating the conduct of members its police chief has already publicly exonerated.

State law permits the local DA to request and the Governor to appoint an independent prosecutor to review the facts of this case and seek charges against any person deemed to have violated the law. I am hereby asking the District Attorney to request the appointment of such an independent prosecutor. This request is not meant to question anyone’s personal integrity, but, rather is based on the institutional relationships and connections which inevitably influence the search for truth and the capacity to be objective.

Having spoken at length with members of Tone’s family, I can state my categorical belief that they seek the truth, wherever that leads. They need to know what happened and why and this quest is reasonable and can be honored only by the work of an investigative force with the authority and the resources to discover and then reveal the facts.

Pictured Above: Michael H. Sussman